High-speed, low residual shrinkage and soft hand feel were the main requirements for a new compacting machine for knitted fabrics Santex has developed for Kitex Garments Ltd. of India. The development engineers at Santex combined the know-how of the two group members, Santex and SperottoRimar, in knits and wovens to develop the new compacting machine Santasynpact which utilizes a combination of felt and rubber compacting units that truly work “together”. The new development improves compaction results significantly, and the production speed is increased by a factor of two to three compared with the conventional felt compacting systems.
The rubber compacting unit is meant for woven and denim fabrics where tension is not a critical issue. Knit fabrics however require sensitive handling to maximise performance.
One of the most important features of Santasynpact is its sophisticated software control for fabric tension regulation. Tension sensing rollers at all critical positions along the fabric path enable the machine to precisely regulate all systems for top performance in speed and shrinkage. With average production speeds of 50 to 60 metres per minute and residual shrinkage values close to zero, Santasynpact has demonstrated excellent flexibility over a wide range of fabrics. The new compacting machine can even process fabrics with viscose and other delicate surfaces.
Kitex Garments, specialising in baby and infant knitwear, has ordered a second Santasynpact. Mr. Sabu M. Jacob, Chairman and Managing Director at Kitex, comments: “I am very satisfied with the performance of our Santasynpact. The hand feel and lustre was an important requirement in our machine choice, and I believe no other machine can achieve these requirements with these high production values.”
Santex will present the Santasynpact at ITMA 2015.